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Yesterday U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice dropped in on an important Asian political conference she has missed in recent years. Ms. Rice's decision to attend the Association of Southeast Asian Nations' Regional Forum in Singapore this week is a welcome if belated sign that the Bush administration has begun to give Asia its due as the new global center of gravity.
Despite President Bush’s 2001 commitment to supply Taiwan with U.S. military equipment for its self defense, the administration froze the final part of the arms deal last week. The deal should move forward, not only to support a democratic ally whose leader is committed to improving cross-straits relations, but also as a pragmatic step toward balancing China’s military build-up.
In briefings following North Korea's announcement to hand over details of its nuclear program, Carnegie experts noted that while it is the first of several hurdles to be overcome before North Korea may fully reintegrate into the international community, it represents the greatest understanding of the North's plutonium program in fourteen years.
The regime in Burma survives by doing the bare minimum to continue business as usual, both abroad and at home.
Washington insiders are calling for the establishment of a League of Democracies to tackle the world's problems. But the last thing people in other countries are looking for from the next administration is a high-profile initiative tying democracy promotion to the global U.S. security agenda.
With recent news of a political agreement for Lebanon and Syrian-Israeli peace talks, Carnegie Middle East experts Marina Ottaway and Paul Salem provide a briefing on the latest developments in the region.
China’s current military space program is oriented towards exploiting space to the advantage of its conventional military operations, denying space to superior adversaries, and preparing for struggles over space control by integrating space into its own military operations and, as required, developing its own space-related deterrent and warfighting capabilities.
Bush promised to treat China like a "strategic competitor." However, despite the Department of Defense's continuing concerns about China's military buildup, the White House has backpedaled, leaving its China policy exactly the opposite of what Bush had promised. Nowhere is his retreat more obvious than on human rights, an issue Bush claims is the centerpiece of his presidency.
Many believe that when Chinese and Russian leaders stopped believing in communism they became pragmatists. But Chinese and Russian rulers do have a set of beliefs that guide their domestic and foreign policies. They believe in the virtues of strong central government and disdain the weaknesses of the democratic system. Chinese and Russian leaders are not just autocrats. They believe in autocracy.
African activists are resisting China’s growing presence in Africa, citing China’s support for autocrats like Zimbabwe’s Robert Mugabe and importation of Chinese labor as primary concerns. Western concerns about Chinese influence in Africa have nevertheless intensified.
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